Aug 1, 2013

Op Ed Says Social Security Disability Is A "Monster"

Social Security Disability Insurance is
turning into a monster. It has experienced exponential growth, much like
other big government entitlement programs. As a consequence, it
threatens to run out of money by 2016. Worse, it weakens our economy and
has become yet another dark cloud over our financial future. ...Some of the growth can be explained by the aging of the working
population and an increase in women with sufficient work history to
become eligible. But the real culprit is the design of the program
itself.

In 1984, Congress significantly broadened
eligibility and included coverage for more subjective problems like back
pain and mood disorders. The rolls begin to fill with sufferers from
these hard-to-disprove maladies which now draw more payments than
diseases like cancer, heart disease and provable musculoskeletal
disorders. ...

SSDI is yet one more iteration of the same old story — a government
social welfare program, founded on the best intentions, that in the
hands of politicians and bureaucrats morphs into a wasteful blob. The
administration of SSDI over the years has worked harder at getting
workers into the program in than in getting them back to work. ...

As Ronald Reagan would say, there is a solution that is simple, but
not easy. If we privatized SSDI, we could reduce costs sharply.

Private disability insurers, needless to say,
don’t just shovel money out the door. They’re highly motivated first to
determine if claimants are truly injured or just wish they were. They
also put great emphasis on programs helping people return to work. As a
result, they typically return about 20 percent of claimants to work each
year, a rate 40 times that achieved by government.

Odd that he withheld the fact the LTD companies he wants to have cover the population force all the claims they have to file for SSDI so if paid the LTD can take the past due benefits to offset what they have paid out.

Personal subsidy from the government bad, but subsidize an insurance company good? When did we begin to trust big business to do the right thing, is the government that bad?

I wonder how long those people (who many, one would presume, filed workers comp claims) who LTD return to work stay back at work before being fired to lower healthcare costs, etc.

Unless you're just a complete libertarian nut, you can recognize that the government can and should perform some functions that are not profit-driving or seeking. Perhaps social safety net benefits for folks who cannot work due to disability is one of those activities? Do we want a social safety net program to take cues from megacorps whose paramount duty (at law, mind you) is to increase shareholder value?

Does everything every enterprise ever engages in have to be profit-seeking to be legitimate?

Private disability encompasses a lot of different areas -- short-term, long-term, paying for a person who can't do the past job (without regard to ability to do other work). The private disability insurers require clients to file for SSDI and not all their clients qualify for SSDI -- altho all their clients are getting a check under the private disability policy. This editorial is flat-out wrong.

When I left the military with pretty severe mental health issues, I didn't immediately go on disability and instead took a civilian job. As it became clear that I couldn't do that job because of those issues, I left it. The company had a private insurance company that they had contact me. The person was extremely mean and downright nasty. They also made it clear that I wasn't getting any kind of health benefit. They never had anyone examine me or anything, they just denied me with one phone call to my home. I subsequently filed for SSDI and VA Benefits. I was approved for SSDI first try with a full exam by an SSA doctor and without the use of a lawyer. I was also given a 100% rating from the Veteran's Administration as well.

That's Ronald Reagan tactics at work. Be careful of what you wish for.

That's not "Ronald Reagan Tactics", that's a company (could be any company) trying to maximize profits while reducing/eliminating expenditures. Unfortunately, private disability insurance companies operate under these principles and claimants are expenditures. I say unfortunately because their decisions directly affect a persons quality of life. That's why the government can "give away" money, healthcare, food, etc. The gov't doesn't care about profits, they run a deficit. The gov't uses other people's money to pay they're obligations. Can you imagine operating like the gov't? Having a credit card with no limit that you could pay all your bills with, your relatives bills, your friends bills and then just ignore the statement when it comes! Then you could eventually push the debt onto others to pay later. Good Ole Uncle Sam!